Trump Says "Hegseth Is Doing an Excellent Job"
White House Denies Reports of Seeking Hegseth's Replacement Amid Classified Information Leak Scandal
Foreign media outlets have reported that the White House is searching for a successor to U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who is under suspicion for inappropriately sharing classified military operational information. However, the White House has dismissed these reports as "fake news."
On April 21 (local time), U.S. public radio NPR reported, citing an anonymous government official, that the White House has begun the process of finding a new head of the Department of Defense to replace Hegseth.
According to a report by the New York Times the previous day, Secretary Hegseth shared sensitive information, including the schedule for an F/A-18 "Hornet" airstrike against Yemen's Houthi rebels, in a private chat room on the civilian messaging app Signal on March 15. The chat room reportedly included his wife Jennifer, his brother Phil, and his personal attorney Tim Parlatore, among other close associates.
This is the second time it has been revealed that Secretary Hegseth inappropriately shared classified information regarding attacks on the Houthi rebels via a civilian messenger. Last month, Hegseth sparked controversy by posting details about the timing and weapons used in attacks against the Houthis in a separate Signal chat room that included officials from related government departments.
During the initial controversy, most participants in the chat room were relevant government officials, except for a journalist who was mistakenly invited by White House National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. As a result, the focus of the controversy was on the discussion of military secrets via a civilian messenger. However, this time, suspicions have arisen that Hegseth's family members and close acquaintances were included in the chat room, raising greater concerns over potential leaks of classified information and security breaches.
Nevertheless, the White House has categorically denied rumors of Hegseth's replacement. White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt stated on X (formerly Twitter) that "NPR's report is completely fake news" and emphasized, "President Donald Trump, as he stated this morning, strongly supports Secretary Hegseth." President Trump also commented during a White House Easter-related event that morning that Secretary Hegseth is "doing an excellent job."
Meanwhile, as the investigation into last month's classified information leak related to Hegseth's attacks on the Houthi rebels has expanded, several senior staff members?including Dan Caldwell, the Secretary's Chief Advisor; Darin Selnick, Deputy Chief of Staff; Colin Carroll, Deputy Secretary's Chief of Staff; and John Elliott, a spokesperson from the Public Affairs Office?were either dismissed or advised to resign last week.
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